-er verb irregular · irregular C1 · Advanced

Conjugate recaer in Spanish

to relapse, to fall back

recaer is an irregular -er verb ranked #1332 among the most common Spanish verbs. For example: "El paciente recayó después de dejar el tratamiento." (The patient relapsed after stopping the treatment.). Use the tables below for full conjugation across all 7 tenses.

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⚡ Irregular verb — recaer (irregular) does not follow standard -er patterns. Pay close attention to the stems in each tense.

Describes current actions, habits, and general truths. The most frequently used tense — master it first.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo recaigo *
recaes
él/ella/Ud. recae
nosotros recaemos
vosotros recaéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. recaen
Example

La responsabilidad recae sobre el director.

The responsibility falls on the director.

Describes completed past actions with a clear start and end. Key signals: ayer, el lunes pasado, de repente.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo recaí
recaíste *
él/ella/Ud. recayó *
nosotros recaímos *
vosotros recaísteis *
ellos/ellas/Uds. recayeron *
Example

Ayer yo recaí.

Yesterday I relapse, to fall back.

Describes habitual past actions, background context, and ongoing states. Key signals: siempre, normalmente, cuando era niño.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo recaía
recaías
él/ella/Ud. recaía
nosotros recaíamos
vosotros recaíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. recaían
Example

Antes yo recaía con frecuencia.

Before, I used to relapse, to fall back often.

Describes future events and predictions. In everyday speech, ir a + infinitive is often preferred for planned events.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo recaeré
recaerás
él/ella/Ud. recaerá
nosotros recaeremos
vosotros recaeréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. recaerán
Example

Mañana yo recaeré.

Tomorrow I will relapse, to fall back.

Expresses what would happen under certain conditions — equivalent to "would" in English. Also used for polite requests.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo recaería
recaerías
él/ella/Ud. recaería
nosotros recaeríamos
vosotros recaeríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. recaerían
Example

Si pudiera, yo recaería.

If I could, I would relapse, to fall back.

Used in clauses expressing wishes, doubt, emotion, or uncertainty — typically after que. Triggers: querer, esperar, dudar, ojalá.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo recaiga *
recaigas *
él/ella/Ud. recaiga *
nosotros recaigamos *
vosotros recaigáis *
ellos/ellas/Uds. recaigan *
Example

Espero que tú recaigas.

I hope that you relapse, to fall back.

Used to give commands and direct requests. Affirmative and negative forms differ significantly in Spanish.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo -
recae
él/ella/Ud. recaiga *
nosotros recaigamos *
vosotros recaed
ellos/ellas/Uds. recaigan *
Example

La responsabilidad recae sobre el director.

The responsibility falls on the director.

Test yourself

Type the correct conjugation for each prompt.

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Example sentences

Common phrases with recaer

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